Camilla's brother dies in NY of head injury

Camilla's brother dies in NY of head injury

April 24th, 2014by Associated Press in Local - Breaking News

Mark Shand, left, brother of The Duchess of Cornwall, shows her an elephant sculpture titled Mr. Cameron as she is escorted around the Elephant Parade exhibition at Chelsea Hospital Gardens in this 2010 photo. Royal officials in Britain say that the brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has died after sustaining a serious head injury following a fall in New York.

Photo by
Associated Press
/Times Free Press.

NEW YORK - The Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, are "utterly devastated" by the death of her brother, who fell outside a hotel bar and suffered a head injury.

Mark Shand, chairman of an elephant conservation charity, was in New York for a charity auction at Sotheby's.

The New York Police Department said he had arrived at the Gramercy Park Hotel's Rose Bar just before 1 a.m. Wednesday accompanied by a relative. He went out to smoke a cigarette around 2:30 a.m. and fell backward as he tried to re-enter through a revolving door, they said.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m., police said. The cause of his death will be determined by the medical examiner's office.

Shand, 62, was known for his work as a travel writer and conservationist. He was the author of several books including "Elephant Tales" and "River Dog: A Journey Down the Brahmaputra."

British royal officials at Clarence House said in a statement that Camilla, Prince Charles and all of her family members are "utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss."

"Mark Shand was a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through The Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death," it said.

Sotheby's said it was "deeply saddened" by the news of Shand's death and it was honored to have helped him raise money for his causes.

Police detectives were at the Manhattan hotel on Wednesday afternoon, taking a look at the locations of security cameras. A worker at a building across the street said detectives had asked if the building had any security video, which it didn't.